What makes a place a good place to work?

Good question. For some, it may be deckchairs, hanging flower baskets and a 24x7 bar, while for others it might be steel and granite work-surfaces and leather flooring. A design studio (chic and trendy) is different from a galvanizing factory (nice if you like concentrated hydrochloric acid and molten zinc), whereas a recruitment consultancy should be, well, a bit like Be-IT I suppose…

This is all by way of a prelude to saying (pause for small fanfare) that we’re rather chuffed to be shortlisted for the “Best Work Environment” in the Business Insider Scotland’s “Best Employer Awards 2017.”

If you’ve never been in our office in Queen Street in Edinburgh, it’s nice and bright - open, airy even, with (we think) a cool, minimalist colour scheme, Sonos loudspeakers spread throughout and fruit, water and lots of different coffees (Nespresso, Gold Blend and “ordinary” instant!) and teas (Indian, China and Fruit) available free for everyone.

Desks and chairs are ergonomically designed, well proportioned and comfortable, and all the essential paraphernalia of business are within easy reach. We’re also pet-friendly: Bailey, the chocolate lab, is a very regular visitor and we also have a mini wire-haired dachshund called Benjy who pops in from time to time.

In addition, as part of our rewards/remuneration package, we provide free healthcare, a 50% reduction on gym costs, free health assessment and half price Fitbit/Apple watches. We also encourage those who wish to do so to walk or cycle to work and there are regular physical challenges for charity, including white water raft racing (which we are about to do again soon!) plus our sponsored bike race from Glasgow to Edinburgh that recently raised lots of money for a Scottish children’s charity. There are some avid cyclists in the office (we think Freddie is so keen he ties on weights to make it more difficult) and all in all I believe that if our office is a nice place to be then we’re more likely to attract good people to work here. Perhaps that’s why we have so many really great people here…